Washington Shootings Leave 5 Dead, 3 in Custody Amid Search for ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Suspect

Victor Westerkamp
By Victor Westerkamp
June 10, 2019US News
share
Washington Shootings Leave 5 Dead, 3 in Custody Amid Search for ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Suspect
James Cloud, 35, was captured after a manhunt following the killings of five people on the Yakama Reservation in Washington state. (Yakama Nation Tribal Police)

The final suspect on the loose in the White Swan murders, Yakima County, Wahington State, has been apprehended by police according to Yakama Nation officials.

James Cloud, 35, was captured in connection with the shootings that took place late Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the White Swan community. Two other “persons of interest” were previously arrested, according to Yakima County Sheriff Robert Udell, KAP/KVEV, Yaktri News reported.

The shooting began late Saturday afternoon in the 5100 block of Medicine Valley Road, where four victims died.

At another scene—near Shields Road—in the 3400 block of Evans Road, a fifth victim was found shot to death along with two injured victims in a vehicle.

Some time after the shooting on Stephenson Road, the suspects had car trouble and left a light-colored truck behind and continued on foot through the fields, according to Udell.

Then, an armed robbery took place in the 9400 block of Evans Road—near Stephenson Road—when they went to a homeowner’s property and carjacked them outside their home. A blue truck was stolen, a press release said.  No one was injured in the robbery.

“Five homicide victims in one incident is very unusual, and the primary crime scene was complex,” Udell said in the release.

In an initial release posted at 4 p.m. on Sunday by the Yakama Nation Facebook page, it said all suspects were arrested, but this statement was retracted at 5 p.m. alerting the public to one suspect still on the loose “due to misidentification.” It identified the fourth suspect as James Cloud, and that he was still at large.

“James is considered armed and extremely dangerous if you see this subject do not approach him and call 911,” the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation said.

“Law enforcement is using all available resources to locate him,” Udell told the television station.

Cloud was finally caught at around 4:30 a.m. Monday in the 3500 block of Campbell Road in Wapato, according to Yakama Nation officials.

Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department received additional law enforcement support from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.

The identity of Cloud has been confirmed by two different law enforcement agencies, according to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.

“Yakama Nation would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies that were involved in the capture of this and all other suspects in these crimes,” the group said. “We would like to thank the community for communicating with law enforcement and sharing information in order to keep our community safe.”

The incidents took place south of the city of Yakima, which is about a two hours drive to the southeast from Seattle.

Law enforcement has not yet released any details about the identity of the victims nor of their cause of death. Neither is there any information released about the possible motives of the group for the killings, why they operated as a group, what the internal division of roles in the group was, why they seemed to operate so chaotically, and act so haphazardly and uncoordinated.

All five victims are with the Yakima County Coroner, and further information will be released in the coming days.

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments